Fab Four! Centre backs Tom & Aaron on goal trail again as Eastleigh record consecutive wins and clean sheets

DORCHESTER TOWN v EASTLEIGH



SATURDAY 31st JANUARY 2009
Blue Square South

Report by Ray Murphy

It had been an upheaval of a week for the home side Dorchester, with rumours of pay cuts, players leaving the club in droves and the departure of manager Shaun Brooks. The truth behind all of this is unknown to all of us naturally, though the team that took the field for Dorchester was the same as seven days ago apart from two players. All of that aside, nothing should be taken from Eastleigh’s four goal rampage that made up for the single goal home defeat suffered by Dorchester earlier in the season. In reality this was nothing but a stroll for Eastleigh for whom after scoring the opening goal, won the game at a canter.

Manager Ian Baird kept faith with the side that had scored a two goal advantage over Bath City five days earlier, meaning centre back Aaron Martin retained his place in the side alongside skipper Tom Jordan. Jonny Dixon returned to the substitutes bench following injury. Dorchester were without their leading scorer Ryan Moss through injury not even being fit enough to take his place on the Dorchester bench which was their original idea though a late team sheet alteration withdrew the striker. Eastleigh goalkeeper Jason Matthews had a quiet afternoon without a shot on target to mention.

The Dorchester pitch was not up to its normal high standards and any fluent football was not permissible on the surface. This led to a very disjointed opening half an hour with both sides unable to penetrate either defence. On thirty two minutes a strike from Anthony Riviere from twenty five yards took a wicked deflection off former Eastleigh midfielder Jamie Gleeson wrong footing Dorchester’s former AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Gareth Stewart nestling into the corner of the net and giving Eastleigh the lead.

Jordan had a header from a Tony Taggart free kick saved by Stewart on thirty-nine minutes, but Eastleigh scored a second crucial goal on the stroke of half time. Taggart's corner saw Stewart attack the ball but his weak punch fell for Martin to notch his second goal in two games.

Eastleigh then took further advantage immediately after the break. Four minutes into the second period, Ashley Carew's corner was knocked back across goal by Martin for his defensive partner Jordan to head home goal number three and also his second goal in two games.

The large contingent of Eastleigh followers were convinced more goals would flow. The former two Dorchester strikers in the Eastleigh ranks in Jamie Brown and Matt Groves worked tirelessly all afternoon and Riviere controlled the middle of the park. A major onslaught of further goals though always looked unlikely.

A fourth goal did arrive on seventy-eight minutes. Peter Adeniyi slipped a ball in behind the Dorchester defence and Riviere produced some neat footwork to avoid a defender then turned the ball across the face of goal where Groves gleefully turned home his ninth goal of the season.